Weekly overview 18: Chip shortage slows down Macs, new App Store subscription and more

Apple has officially stopped sales of the Mac mini with 256 GB of storage. The most affordable model, which previously cost €719, has been completely removed from the website and is no longer available. The Mac mini now starts at € 969 and comes with the M4 chip, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD storage as a new entry-level model.

This change follows weeks of supply problems. Last week, the 256GB variant was completely sold out in the Apple Store, and after postponed delivery dates, Apple eventually removed the model from the range completely. For consumers looking to purchase a Mac mini, this means the entry price has increased by $250 and the cheaper model now offers 512GB of storage instead of 256GB.

Apple has released a new firmware update for the AirPods Pro 3. The new version number is 8B40 for the Pro, and includes bug fixes and optimizations. Previously, new features were also introduced in conjunction with software update 26, including: camera control functions, sleep detection and battery notifications.

You can read up on the Apple website a support document (Dutch) back which improvements and fixes Apple has made and/or new options have been added. The AirPods are automatically provided with the new firmware, but updating manually is unfortunately a difficult job.

The phasing out of the netting scheme and the costs for supplying solar energy make it attractive for owners of solar panels to purchase a home battery. Now that the demand for solar panels has fallen significantly, the home battery market is booming. Many manufacturers will release new models before the netting scheme is further phased out in 2027. This also applies to Zendure, which has been active in the Netherlands for many years. The manufacturer recently launched a new line of home batteries, of which the Zendure SolarFlow 2400 AC+ is a part. This is a modularly expandable home battery with advanced new technologies.

In recent weeks we have extensively tested the Zendure SolarFlow 2400 AC+ with an extra battery and P1-Meter in practice. You can read our experiences with this home battery in this extensive review.

Apple has officially stopped sales of the Mac mini with 256 GB of storage. The most affordable model, which previously cost €719, has been completely removed from the website and is no longer available. The Mac mini now starts at € 969 and comes with the M4 chip, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD storage as a new entry-level model.

This change follows weeks of supply problems. Last week, the 256GB variant was completely sold out in the Apple Store, and after postponed delivery dates, Apple eventually removed the model from the range completely. For consumers looking to purchase a Mac mini, this means the entry price has increased by $250 and the cheaper model now offers 512GB of storage instead of 256GB.

Apple has released a new firmware update for the AirPods Pro 3. The new version number is 8B40 for the Pro, and includes bug fixes and optimizations. Previously, new features were also introduced in conjunction with software update 26, including: camera control functions, sleep detection and battery notifications.

You can read up on the Apple website a support document (Dutch) back which improvements and fixes Apple has made and/or new options have been added. The AirPods are automatically provided with the new firmware, but updating manually is unfortunately a difficult job.

Apple has a new subscription option announced for the App Store that allows developers to charge users monthly while committing to a full year. This new subscription form combines the accessibility of monthly payments with the security of an annual subscription.

This subscription model is released together with software updates 26.5 for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. With this change, Apple is trying to lower the threshold for annual subscriptions. Instead of paying a large amount at once, users can spread the same amount over twelve months without developers having to sacrifice predictable revenue.

The phasing out of the netting scheme and the costs for supplying solar energy make it attractive for owners of solar panels to purchase a home battery. Now that the demand for solar panels has fallen significantly, the home battery market is booming. Many manufacturers will release new models before the netting scheme is further phased out in 2027. This also applies to Zendure, which has been active in the Netherlands for many years. The manufacturer recently launched a new line of home batteries, of which the Zendure SolarFlow 2400 AC+ is a part. This is a modularly expandable home battery with advanced new technologies.

In recent weeks we have extensively tested the Zendure SolarFlow 2400 AC+ with an extra battery and P1-Meter in practice. You can read our experiences with this home battery in this extensive review.

Apple has officially stopped sales of the Mac mini with 256 GB of storage. The most affordable model, which previously cost €719, has been completely removed from the website and is no longer available. The Mac mini now starts at € 969 and comes with the M4 chip, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD storage as a new entry-level model.

This change follows weeks of supply problems. Last week, the 256GB variant was completely sold out in the Apple Store, and after postponed delivery dates, Apple eventually removed the model from the range completely. For consumers looking to purchase a Mac mini, this means the entry price has increased by $250 and the cheaper model now offers 512GB of storage instead of 256GB.

Apple has released a new firmware update for the AirPods Pro 3. The new version number is 8B40 for the Pro, and includes bug fixes and optimizations. Previously, new features were also introduced in conjunction with software update 26, including: camera control functions, sleep detection and battery notifications.

You can read up on the Apple website a support document (Dutch) back which improvements and fixes Apple has made and/or new options have been added. The AirPods are automatically provided with the new firmware, but updating manually is unfortunately a difficult job.